Ryan's relief at getting over the line

QPR midfielder Ryan Manning admitted to a feeling of relief following Saturday’s victory over Nottingham Forest at Loftus Road.

Manning made his 17th appearance of the season in the heart of the Hoops midfield against the Reds, impressing once again, as Rangers ran out worthy 2-0 winners in W12 to secure their Sky Bet Championship status.

“We’d set ourselves up nicely prior to the last international break to have a good run-in, but it didn’t quite go according to plan.

“But we’re over the line now and we finished it off with a professional display against Forest.

“To get the two goals and keep a clean sheet at the same time, in front of our own supporters, was a nice way to finish off at Loftus Road.”

After a tight first half, two quick-fire goals at the start of the second half from Conor Washington and Joel Lynch put the R’s in the ascendancy – and Manning believes the first goal of the game was always going to be crucial.

“It always is, in any game,” he said.

“We look a lot better side when we score the first goal in any game - and once we got the first on Saturday, the second came along quite soon after.

“That was just what we needed and it really gave us a base and a platform to see out the game.”

He added: “The first half was a battle. They were scrapping, so we were.

“We felt fairly comfortable at 0-0 at half-time - and then the two goals came quickly, and that enabled us to get the job done.”

Finish Line

The R’s final fixture of the 2016/17 campaign is a trip to Carrow Road – the home of Norwich City – on Sunday, and Manning is keen to finish the season in positive fashion.

“We shouldn’t be in the position that we’re in, but we want to finish positively,” he said.

“We can go to Norwich and look to express ourselves, with no added pressure on us after getting such a positive result on Saturday.

“We want to finish with back-to-back wins and that’s certainly what we’ll be aiming to do.”

Award

Manning saved his final words for the QPR supporters, who voted him as their Young Player of the Year last weekend.

“To win the award was an unbelievable feeling - huge thanks to the fans who voted for me,” he said.

“It’s been a breakthrough season for me, well a breakthrough few months to be honest!

“I just want to kick on now next season and help QPR move forward.”

We shouldn’t be in the position that we’re in, but we want to finish positively.